Keeper of the Flame: A
Chechen
Defends Leo Tolstoy's Memory

By

Guy Chazan Special to The Wall Street Journal

Updated May 10, 2000 8:08 a.m. ET

STAROGLADKOVSKAYA, Russia -- Like many fellow Chechens, Hussein Zagibov picked up his gun and decided to fight. The enemy was far better armed, but Mr. Zagibov, passionate about his cause, managed to repulse the attacks.

The first assault came late one night. Mr. Zagibov was alone in an old schoolhouse with a leaky roof, crumbling floorboards and no electricity. After an exchange of gunfire, his assailants retreated. "These...